Robbie and Kim » Comings and Goings

“Here I am! Rock me like a hurricane!”

Kim — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:55:28 +0000

Do you have ANY idea how many times I heard my husband sing this one line from that song on Saturday?? I stopped counting at some point. I’m surprised Em didn’t start saying it! We did get rocked, quite a bit actually by some significant winds in the 50-60 mph range. We saw LOTS and LOTS of rain. I still don’t know the rainfall total but it pretty much rained non-stop from 4pm Friday until at least 10pm Saturday (I went to sleep after that and it had stopped by this morning). We had a good 12 stuffy hours of no power. I grew up in the mountains. Not having power is common, especially during winter storms. But the summer has something the winter doesn’t… heat! The wind was so rough, if we opened a window, an entire room got wet, so we had to keep them closed. I walked out on our little porch several times just to feel like I wasn’t “smothering”.

Needless to say, as soon as the sun was up good this morning, I was begging Robbie to get me out of the house. We took an adventure around downed trees to his parents where we had an unexpected but absolutely wonderful waffle and bacon breakfast! (That’s what you get when you wake up Grandma and Grandpa at 7:30 and let them know you have the grandchild with you in the driveway!) Em has been really sweet for the most part the last couple of days. Today she got to playing a little rough/silly and had several bumps and bruises, but she’ll make it!

As I typed the title to this blog, I noticed the first line of that song was “Here I am!” It makes me think of 2 things… Samuel (I think) in the old testament. When he was first getting the Lord’s call on his life. He heard God calling to his name and he said, “Here I am!”… The second thing is a song based on some verses in Isaiah, “Here I am, Lord send me. Here I am, Lord I’ll go.” In looking at all the storm damage in person today, on the news and knowing there is a lot of damage in the Black Jack community, I really would have liked to have gone down there and helped personally. That’s a challenge I’m feeling a lot lately. How do I serve God (physically) while still being faithful to my family? I can’t exactly leave my 18 month old on top of Robbie all day to do physical labor. I shouldn’t go do that type of physical labor being pregnant and all. I wouldn’t feel right asking Robbie to go do it all without me if he wasn’t called to do it. It sometimes feels helpless to say, “All I can do is pray.” But at the same time, sometimes that’s the greatest thing we can do. I guess I’ll figure it out as I go along.

Here are some videos of our booger today:

overwhelmed

Kim — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:48:57 +0000

Life has been crazy lately. Crazy enough I haven’t even taken the time to blog and crazy enough to scatter my thoughts so I couldn’t think of what to blog about! To catch everyone up, Emily is growing LIKE A WEED! She is more like a toddler and less like “my baby” every day. It’s only 102 degrees around these parts, which don’t bode well on a pregnant woman, not even a half-way there pregnant woman. For all you moms who carried babies at term in the dead of summer, I could almost bow at your feet, especially if you were working a full time job at the same time. My morning sickness has finally abated!! And, we’re having another baby girl!! Woo hoo! Emme will have a sweet baby sister!! Whose name shall not be named until she gets here…. and when we figure it out . We’re still working on that.

On another note, my father-in-law has had some not so good news lately. He has been diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. It’s a chronic illness that can be quite debilitating at times with chronic fluid build-up called ascites, varicose veins in your stomach and esophagus that can bleed, and of course, just liver failure and all that entails. Fortunately, his biggest issue so far has been fluid collecting and the discomfort that causes, then having to have it frequently drawn off. Imagine going to the hospital to draw off 12 liters (6 2-liter pepsi) or 24 lbs at a time, every couple of weeks. This leads me to how I’m overwhelmed today: I’m overwhelmed by the love and outpouring of friendship of my church family and this community. Tonight, one of the Sunday school classes at Black Jack had a pancake supper for my husband’s family. Before we even got to the parking lot I couldn’t believe the number of cars.. then the number of people inside.. then the droves that just kept coming! We are truly blessed to have this church family and the support of our local community.

As usual, here are a few pics to wind up the blog and a couple of videos as well. Sorry you’ll have to turn your head sideways for the one video, but I couldn’t record it with the camera headed the other direction or I’d cut off their heads or make everyone sick like The Blair Witch Project. Love you all, thanks for checking the blog!! (Sorry you’ll have to turn your head sideways to see the last video, but it’s worth it!)

2 peas in a pod… aka Happy Father’s Day

Kim — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:46:40 +0000

We have had a wonderful Father’s Day weekend. We started off at the beach with Emme, Henry, Sarah, James, Grandma Bendy and the Byrd clan to celebrate Henry’s big 4! Happy Birthday, Mr. Henry! Today’s festivities included church, having a great talk with my Dad on the way home, and then having a fantastic lunch (prepared by my mother in law) at the house with Robbie’s parents and grandparents. We are so blessed that we and our children are so covered in love by all these people!! Em was full of herself and I think a good time was had by all… now to get into VBS this week!

Here are some pics of our recent adventure. I particularly love the first pic of my 2 peas in a pod!

stubborn little cus!

Kim — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:19:11 +0000

so, does she listen to mommy’s pleas to slow down??? OF COURSE NOT!!! Tonight she took steps between me and Robbie while we held her fingers. What?!?

Watching Em grow and change so fast has made me wonder about how God sees us. As we grow and learn new things, are there times God would want to hold us back? I look at her trying to pull up on the ottoman and find myself moving all her toys out of the way in case she falls backwards and such. Does he do that for us? Doesn’t that make a bump in the road for others or even us sometimes? I guess that’s why he says “wait” sometimes. I think we tend to relate to this meaning of waiting: “to remain inactive as until something unexpected happens.” What if waiting doesn’t mean to be “inactive”? I think many times God means for us to wait in terms of this meaning: “to be available or in readiness”.

Sure, waiting stops me from ramming my head into the wall over and over in my stubborn nature, but it also doesn’t mean to turn and run the other direction. How do I stay “available” or “ready”? By keeping my line of communication open! I can’t be ready for the call to do what God would have me to do if my phone battery is dead. I’ve got to stay alive in my walk through the Word, through active prayer, through fellowship. The next time I feel like God is telling me to “wait”, I’m gonna have to pray for a little more clarification.

Oh well, enough rambling… here’s some video footage of Em these days!

playing with Minnie Mouse

stinker playing silly

play time before bath time

Please, oh please,

Kim — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:02:34 +0000

won’t you please slow down, Miss Em! You’re growing way too fast for mommy this week. You could just about make my cry. This week, you’ve changed to at least 2 sippy cups per day, started to actually eat your puff cereal instead of just throwing them everywhere, crawling forwards instead of backwards and today, YOU CUT A TOOTH! What’s next? Are you gonna crawl out to the truck and drive off to college???? You’re really wearing mommy and daddy out. But, we love you!

Here’s a picture of the booger last Sunday before church, wearing the dress I had made for her first Easter dress (that turned out to be WAY too big at the time).

and Happy New Year!

Kim — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:09:41 +0000

I’ve been debating what to post for our New Year post this year and I’ve found it pretty difficult. I wanted to write about change, resolutions, a multitude of things. Instead, I’m writing about Jehovah. At church this morning we were singing the song, “Days of Elijah” and the line repeats, over and over, “There’s no God like Jehovah” and that part of the song is always where my mind wanders. Not to bad things, but to more focused things, like the names of God. When I was younger, a young man in my church converted to become a Jehovah’s witness. At a Wednesday night Bible study, it’s all he could talk about, that Jehovah was the ONLY name of God. It is true that Jehovah is a name of God, but not the only name given of God in the Bible. I’m personally partial to “I AM.” But, today, I do want to mention some of these Jehovah “compound names” seen in the old Testament. This is just a sampling: Jehovah – Jireh: The Lord Who Provides (Gen 22), Jehovah – Rapha: The Lord Who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26), Jehovah â€“Nissi: The Lord Our Banner (Exodus 17:8-15).

When my mind wandered this morning, it was to, “There’s no god like Jehovah, There’s no god like Jehovah–my Healer, There’s no god like Jehovah–my Provider, There’s no God like Jehovah–my Victor!” and each line just filled my heart with so much more joy. In the last week, I’ve rejoiced in the holidays with my family over their health and being together. I’ve felt some heartache as I left my mountain home to come back to my east coast home. I’ve been excited for 2 friends who have gotten engaged and for the new life being born in my family. And I’ve wept for a new dear friend who lost her son in a tragic accident the day after Christmas. My prayers for 2011 include that everyone in my circle and family would know there’s no god like Jehovah. There is none like Him. Behold He comes!

Why There Will Be No Stokes Family Christmas Cards in 2010

Kim — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:45:02 +0000

I could write you a list of excuses about long nights at work, busy evenings with Robbie and the baby getting dinners ready and slaving to take care of everyone, but in this case, those are not the reasons.

The reason we have no Stokes Family Christmas cards in 2010 is IN-COOPERATION! And not from Robbie this time!! Different times now I have had Emily dressed in Christmas attire, sitting in front of the tree, and every single time she either 1. makes really strange faces, 2. won’t be still, 3. turns around and pulls ornaments off the tree or 4. grabs the branches and shakes (while making funny faces)!

Here are some examples of what we tried to get this holiday season for you. There are also some pics of her helping me make cookies. Hope they brighten your week as you get ready for Christmas!!!

Jingle all the Way! (Challenge #3)

Kim — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:52:08 +0000

For my 3rd challenge, I completed a real CHALLENGE! I decided to head to Raleigh for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk. It was a 5k event… my first feat attempting to walk so far. I had a partner in crime, too, my friend Erin! Here’s a pic of us before we got going:
Here’s what I learned from this event: 1. Raleigh has hills 2. When you reach your breaking point, just remind yourself it you can get through labor with no epidural, you can do this 3. If you wear jingle bells on your shoes, consider using safety pins or thick twine b/c small ties just get cut by the bells. 4. If you fall flat on your face in the middle of Hillsborough street you can resist the urge just to hobble back to your car instead of the finish line or you can push on through and finish with glory. Praise God, I finished!! Woo hoo!! It wasn’t pretty. I was super sweaty, legs were jello and my face was red as a beat (either from sweating or being so dang cold) but I was done and that’s what mattered.

Here’s some of the fun from my house this week:

Hope you’re having a great week!

giving in, giving up, and giving back

Kim — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 12:24:48 +0000

I’ve been struggling for what seems like forever with finding the time to get “me” straight again after having the baby. She is 6 MONTHS OLD! this week and it’s amazing how time gets away from you. I think as a new mom, it is VERY hard to find balance. Let me rephrase that, as a new mom and as a working mom. Before I went back to work, I could figure out where I could find time to do my Bible study during the morning or where I could go for a walk in the afternoon (or vice versa) and still get dinner on the table, the baby fed and clothed, and have the energy to have a grown up conversation with Robbie in the evenings. But when I went back to work, forget it. I’m exhausted from the work day, much less finding time for extracurricular things, especially work-outs. Someone told me one day, “Well, the gym has childcare.” Well, that’s all well and fine, but I have enough working mom guilt as it is. I’m away from her all day while I work and then you want me to spend another hour of her awake time away from her so I can work out at the gym? Um, no. I think not. So, I’ve been contemplating what I can do to get it back together again. No, I’ve never been “skinny” but I’ve been healthier than I am now.

While at Henry’s fundraiser this weekend, I had a blast. Yes, it was fun to see my family and Henry, but it was even more fun to feel like I was giving back–to Henry, to the community, to the cause. So, here’s my proposal… I propose that I should give in to finding a little time for myself now and then, give up some of my pounds and give back to my community all at the same time. Here’s how: by attempting to participate in 12 physical fundraisers in the next 12 months, starting with the Good Samaritan 5K/Family Walk here in Greenville 10/9/2010 (a 1 mile walk) and ending with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte, NC 10/2011 (a 39.3 mile walk over 2 days). If I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna need your help! I will need your thoughts, your prayers, your support (sometimes monetary for the causes, sometimes just advice on where to find an event in the wintertime), and your accountability!

Feel free to join me!!!! I would love to hear about your journeys as well or walk with you in an event! Any other mom’s feel that working guilt thing?

making a SPLASH!!!

Kim — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:57:26 +0000

We’ve had a busy week around these parts, but it’s been great! By mid week, I decided to get a relaxing tub bath, but I had a very alert baby!! So, I made her a blanket and let her play in the bathroom floor with her toys while I de-stressed. She didn’t seem to mind much at all.

Later in the week, Grandma Bendy, Aunt Sarah and Cuz Henry came down. They went to the beach for a night with a friend then came up to spend some time here. Of course, we had to go swimming. So we enjoyed the pool at Aunt Cathy’s and cooled off. The next day, Sarah and I took off to hit a few stores, mainly Once Upon a Child, where they were having a clearance sale. That’s where Sarah got these great sunglasses for the baby! She seemed to like them okay but she seemed to like having them on her head better.

Either way, she loves to hang out with Henry! They love each other. She loves to watch him and he lights up every time she touches him!

We ended the weekend with a SPLASH! as Robbie was baptized at Black Jack! Woo hoo!! He didn’t drown and we’re officially church members!

More of our adventures to come!!